


Watchdog

by ordinarylittleme



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-10-13
Packaged: 2019-01-16 20:24:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12350040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ordinarylittleme/pseuds/ordinarylittleme
Summary: That's all Alice is.





	Watchdog

_I'm no better than Edward, really_ , Alice muses bitterly as she stares at Bella's slumbering form, unable to pull her eyes away even though she'd promised to around half an hour ago. It's impossible to do so. Bella is just too… enticing. Yes, that's the word. The way she's sprawled out on the large mattress, completely bathed in pale, soft moonlight that makes her body glow temptingly, has unraveled the last knot of Alice's self control. (As if she had any when it came to _her_.) Bella's brown hair is splayed out behind her, a smile on her face as she clings to the white blanket. Her chest rises and falls with breathing.

Bella is just far too beautiful for her own good. Not only does she attract humans ( _ugh_ ), she attracts demonic monsters like Alice and Edward (and that _dog_ ) as well. Guilt wells up from the pit of Alice's gut, venom pooling in her eyes - the vampire's tears. She shouldn't be lusting after her brother's girlfriend like this, especially as she's married. It's wrong on so many levels, yet at that moment she doesn't want to be anywhere else but by Bella's side, guarding her like a watchdog. She wants to protect her from whatever could do her harm while she slumbers, completely unaware of Alice's unwavering, hungry gaze. Alice feels like she now understands Edward's need to watch Bella sleep every night. The same fear Edward feels whenever he doesn't have Bella in his line of sight has taken hold of her too. Bella is so breakable. She's the porcelain doll that falls off the shelf too much, cracks appearing but never wide enough to shatter. It's difficult to imagine leaving her on her own for more than a second and return to find her unharmed, the girl is a danger magnet.

Of course, protecting Bella is only one half of why Alice can't pull her eyes away from her. The other half, the pure, perverse desire to gaze upon Bella at her most vulnerable, should make her face burn with shame, but it can't. Not anymore. It's a disgustingly primitive feeling, this desire. It makes Alice feel more like a monster than ever before, as Jasper's hurt face appears in her mind's eye. Thoughts of breaking Bella like a pencil often flit through her brain, reminding her that she, like the rest of her family, could maim the mortal girl effortlessly. It would be like batting an eyelash and that terrifies Alice. She wishes that Edward would hurry up and change Bella so that she wouldn't have to be so damn _terrified_ all the time when she takes Bella shopping, scared that she might push the boundaries too far, that she might leave Bella beyond repair. Alice spends so much of her time fearing for Bella now. Maybe she should change her herself, Bella would like that. But Edward wouldn't.

 _Oh, Bella, you're too breakable,_ she thinks as she gingerly brushes a small lock of Bella's sleek brown hair out of her face. Bella's eyelids flutter, but she does not wake much to Alice's relief. She doesn't want this serene moment to end just yet. She wants to admire Bella for a little longer if only for just a few more seconds.

Seconds turn into minutes and minutes turn into hours and Alice is completely unaware of the passing of time until she spots the first few narrow golden rays of sunlight spill into the small bedroom, making her skin glitter. They illuminate Bella's slender form and Alice, who observes from the shadows, decides that she looks much better in sunlight than in moonlight. It illuminates her cheeks and makes her ethereal, like a goddess. Which, Alice supposes, in another life she was.

A gentle blush graces Bella's pale cheeks as she mumbles Edward's name before rolling onto her other side, twisting the crisp, white sheets around her body as her hair flies out behind her, and a sad smile plays upon Alice's dry lips. She knows that Bella will only dream of Edward, never of her. She will always be the best friend, the replacement guardian that takes over whenever Edward is away. Alice Cullen will eternally be second best, the best friend. Not the girlfriend. She's just the watchdog...the girl to play with when the man's away.

Alice murmurs an apology as she gets up, but isn't quite sure what she's apologizing for. She's almost certain that it's for feeling the way she does, but it might be for watching Bella sleep. Alice decides that it's for both - after all, both are wrong. She presses her lips against the soft, pliable skin against Bella's neck - how easy it would be to bite down - and sighs as she stands up again. Her heart breaking into little pieces, she slips out of the room, putting on the invincible mask she wears in front of her family. It fools everyone but Jasper, but even he can't get the truth out of her. _Not that he would want to,_ Alice thinks. Her feelings for Bella are a well-kept secret and she plans to keep it that way.

The door shuts with a soft click and Alice glides into the living room with a big, fake smile plastered to her face. She doesn't hear the name that tumbles from Bella's lips and, for the first time, the name isn't Edward's.


End file.
